Latching mechanism



F. R, ElcHNER LATCHING MECHNISM June 3, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fild Julyv9. 1955 F. R. ElcHNER 2,837,363

LATCHING MECHANISM 5 sheets-sheet z lventor direz Attorney June 3, 1958Filed July's. 195s June 3, 1958 F. Elcl-INER LATCHING MECHANISM Filed'July 9, 195; y

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor June 3, 1958 F. lR. Elcfl-INE'R` 2,837,363

LATCHING MECHANISM Filed July 9, 1953 5 sheets-sheet 4 Inventor June 3,1958 F. R. E'lcHNER LATCHING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fileduly 9. 1953A yrfllllllllflzlrlll. v.

Attorney niteci States Patehrtf() LATCHING MECHANISM -Ferdinand R.Eichner, Pontiac, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July 9, 1953,Serial No. 366,921

6 Claims. (Cl. 292-217) This invention relates to latching mechanismsand more particularly to a latching mechanism for a compartment closureof buses and the like.

Buses and other passenger vehicles are provided with variouscompartments such as engine and baggage compartments which includeswinging closures having Various types of latching mechanisms. Many ofthese closures the horizontally hinged and the invention is particularlyapplicable to this type of closure, although it should be realized thatit may also be applied to vertically hinged closures. Such closures areusually provided with an eX- ternal handle for manual actuation of theirlatching mechanisms and for the raising of the closure to an openposition. The closures are provided with suitable releasable hold opendevices so that the handle may be released while access is had to thecompartment. In one type of closure, it is desirable that the latchingmechanism be so set upon manual release of the handle that furthermanual manipulation of the handle is unnecessary for latching of theclosure, i. e., that the latching mechanism is of the self or slamlatching type. In another type of closure, it is desirable that thelatching mechanism be so setupon manual release of the handle thatfurther manual manipulation of the handle is necessary for latching ofthe closure, i. e., that the latching mechanism is of the manual orantislam latching type.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved latching mechanismof the slam latching type.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved latchingmechanism of the antislam latching type.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latching mechanismwhich is adaptable with but minor modiiication for either slam orantislam latching. Both the slam and the antislam modifications of theinvention have the same general arrangement. v

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearlyVshown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a partial frontV elevation, partially broken away, of avehicle compartment closure incorporating the latching mechanism of theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, taken substantially on the planeindicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. l, of the latching mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken substantially on the plane indicatedby the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, of a catch of the latching mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section, taken substantially on the plane indicatedby the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, of the operating linkage of the latchmechanism in closure latching position.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to that of Fig. 4 of the antislammodification with the operating linkage in closure preventing range.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section similar to that of Fig. 4

c IC@ 2 of' the antislam modication with the operating linkagein closureunlatching position.

Fig. 7 is a partialfront elevation, partially broken away, of 'the'operating linkage of the latching mechanism.

Fig. 8 'is a horizontal section taken substantially on the planeindicated'by the line 8'8 of Fig. 6 of Athe antislam modification withthe operating linkage in closure unlatching position.

Fig. `9 is a vertical section similar to that of Fig. 4

of the slam latching modification with the operating linkage in closureunlatching position.

Fig. l) is a horizontal section taken substantially on the planeindicated by the line 10-10 of Fig. 9 of the slam latching modificationwith the operating linkage in closure' unlatching position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, Figs. l through 4v and 7illustrate the latching mechanism common to both antislam and slamlatching modications. A closure 10 is mounted for upward swingingmovement in the compartment opening of the vehicle wall panel 12 by ahorizontal rubber hinge 14. The compartment casing is formed by upperand lower channels 16 and 18 and side channels 20 and 22, and theclosure 10 by anfupper channel 24, side channels 26 and 28, vside strips30 and 32, and inner and outer panels 34 and 36. The compartment casingchannels carry rubber seals 38, 40 and 42 that engage the inside edgesof the closure 10 to cushion the closure and seal the compartmentl fromdirt and moisture. Bolts 44 secure latch catches 46 to either side ofthe compartment casing. Each latch catch v46 has a cam-like channel 48and front and rear shoulders 50 and 52. The catches iSreceive the hookedends 54 of a torsion latch rod 56 horizontally pivoted on the-inside ofthe closure 10 by side straps 58 and by centerstraps 60 and -62securedto'the closure handle housing 64 by bolts 66. A`

latch operating handle 63 having inner and outer panels 7i) and 72 and arubber dust ap 74 is horizontally pivoted on the handle housing 64 by'ashaft'76 received in spaced ears 78 on'the handle and bearings 79 on thehousing. The'shaft 76 carries a coil spring 80 having ends vthat bearagainst bosses 79 and 81 on the handle and housing to bias the handletowards latched position. An adjustable crank link 82 pivotally connectsat its upper end to a shaft 84 journaled in spaced'ears 86 of the handleand at its lower end to a crank 88 on the latch rod 56. Referringparticularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the rear shoulders 52 of the catches46 are so related to the hooked ends 54 of the latch rod 56 as to imposetorsion inthe latch rod 56 when the closure`10' and handle 68 are in thelatched position shown. The latching mechanism is releasably retained inlatched position by over-centering of the crank link and handle pivotwith respect to the crank link and latch rod pivot and handle toVclosure pivot. A safety latch 90 insures against accidental opening ofthe closure. The safety latch 90 is concealed behind the handle 63 andincludes a latch 92`suitably pivoted to the handle and spring biased forengagement with a catchv 94 secured to housing 64 by the bolts 66.

Figs. 5, 6 and 8 illustrate the antislam modification of the latchingmechanism, while Figs. 9 and l0 illustrate the slam latchingmodification of the latching mechanism. The only structural differencebetween the modiications is in the location of a stop surface on thehousing 64. ln the antislam latching modification the stop surface 100is so located as to engage the lower end of crank link 82 when thehandle is moved to unlatched position to prevent the crank link andlatch rod pivot from overcentering with respect to the handle and cranklink pivot and latch rod to closure pivot. In the slam latchingmodification the stop surface 100 is so located as to allow the cranklink and latch rod pivot to overcenter.

'The antislam latching modification operates in the following manner.The operator inserts his fingers beneath the handle 68 to release thesafety catch 90. He thereafter pulls up the handle from the latchedposition of Figs. l through 4 to the unlatched position of Figs. 6 and8, moving the latch rod ends 54V from behind the catch shoulders 52. Theclosure 1t) is then opened and the handle released whereupon coil spring80 moves the 'handle toward latched position, as illustrated by Fig. 5.The spring 80 is preferably strong enough to move the handle to fulllatched position but it need only move the handle to the intermediateposition of Fig. 5 which comprises the boundary of the slam preventionrange of the handle. The latch rod ends will engage the front shoulders50 ci' the catches to prevent the closure from latching, as shown inFig. 5, should the operator attempt to slam the closure without movingthe handle to unlatched position. For the operator to latch the closure,it is necessary that he raise the handle to unlatched position so thatthe latch rod ends may enter the channels of the catches and thereaftershut the closure and move the handle to the latched position of Figs. 1through 4.

The slam latching modification operates in the following manner. Theoperator raises the handle from the latched position of Fig, 4 to theunlatched position of Figs. 9 and 10. The crank link 82 does not engagethe stop surface 100 until the crank link and latch rod pivotovercenters. Upon release of the handle the coil spring 80 maintains thecrank link and latch rod pivot overcentered, thereby retaining thehandle in the unlatched position of Figs. 9 and 10. The closure may nowbe slam latched without further manipulation of the handle for the latchrod ends are in proper position for entry in the catch channels 43, andthe inertia of the closure will cause camming of the latch rod ends inthe catch channels to effect latching and thereby pull the handle 68 toits latched position.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described fullyin order to explain the principles of the invention, it is to beunderstood that modications in structure may be made by the exercise ofskill in the art within the scope of the invention, which is not to beregarded as limited by the detailed description of the preferredembodiment-` I claim:

l. A latching mechanism for the closure of a vehicle compartment or thelike comprising a handle pivotally connected to said closure and adaptedfor manipulation between latching and unlatching positions, a torsionrod including a crank portion and a latch portion and pivotally mountedon said closure, a crank link connecting said handle and crank portionfor swinging said latch portion between corresponding latching andunlatching positions on manipulation of said handle, a catch carried bysaid compartment and having an abutment with an aperture at one sidethereof and including a cam surface within said aperture, said latchportion being adapted for entry in said aperture on closing said closurewith said handle and latch portion in unlatchiug position and forengagement with said cam surface to actuate said latch portion andhandle into latching position, said latch portion being adapted toengage said abutment and avoid entry in said aperture with said handleand latch portion in latching position, and spring means arranged tourge said handle and latch portion towards latching position whereby anoperator attempting to close said closure must retain said handle inunlatching position to effect entry of said latch portion in saidaperture.

2. A latching mechanism according to claim l including a stop surface onsaid closure engageable by said crank link to determine the unlatchingposition of said handle.

3. A latching mechanism according to claim 1 Wherein said spring meanscomprises a coil spring concentric with said pivotal connection of saidhandle to said closure.

4. A latching mechanism for the closure of a vehicle compartment or thelike, comprising a handle pivotally connected to sai-d closure andadapted for manipulation between latching and unlatching positions, atorsion rod pivotally mounted on said closure, said torsion rodincluding a crank portion and a latch portion, a link pivotallyconnected at one end to said handle and at the other end to said crankportion, a catch carried by said compartment coacting with said latchportion, said catch having an abutment and an aperture the latterdefining a cam 'surface for cammingv engagement with said latch portion,a stop surface on said closure engageahle in the unlatching position ofsaid handle with that portion of said link which is pivotally connectedto said crank portion for determining the position of the latch portionwith respect to the abutment and the aperture of said catch, and springmeans biasing said handle toward latching position.

5. A latching mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said stop surfaceon the closure allows said link-tocrank portion pivot to overcenter withrespect to the link-to-handle pivot and torsion rod-to-closure pivot toreleasably retain the latching mechanism in unlatched position uponrelease of the handle in its uppermost unlatched position so that theclosure may be slam-latched without further manipulation of the handle.

6. A latching mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said spring meanscomprises a coil spring concentric with said vpivotal connection of saidhandle to said closure. i

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,974Moore Nov. 11, 1884 997,805 Hackney July 11, 1911 1,852,995 Mears Apr.5, 1932 1,905,815 DeOrlow Apr. 25, 1933 1,926,102 Keeler Sept. 12, 19332,013,285 Mooney Sept. 3, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS v 622,197 Germany Nov.22, 1935

